Patriarch
by Deep Rain
Summary: There are few compliments that Sesshoumaru could truly appreciate. Post Inuyasha - Tenka Hadō no Ken film. In memory of the fourteen-year saga that ended today.


In memory of the fourteen-year saga that ended today. Thank you Takahashi sensei.

Post _Tenka Hadō no Ken_-film.

***

In that one blinding light above the gates of Hell, he saw once again that great figure he had been chasing after for the past five hundred years.

"Father…"

When the light faded, he saw Inuyasha slowly sank to his knees, eyes glazed and mouth opening and closing around a title he had never uttered.

Sesshoumaru pulled a wane smile.

Meet our Father, Inuyasha, the Great Demon who died saving your worthless life.

_____

The next time he met the mangy half-bred and his entourage was months later on a an ill-defined forest trail, both after the scent of a common foe. When the mutt's owner offered to bandage a scrape on Rin's knee, he merely frowned and turned away, distancing himself from the pack of unsavory mix of species.

Then he noticed Inuyasha was looking at him.

He glared back. But the mutt wasn't glaring, he was… simply looking. Sesshoumaru did not recognize that look on his face. Whenever their eyes met in the past, the mutt would tense up, teeth bare and canine ears that he couldn't conceal laying flat against his head. Now all the lines the pup's face had softened, ears perked with an occasional flick and eyes intent on him.

Did that mutt even realize how ridiculous he looked?

He deepened his frown, almost with disgust, and Inuyasha snapped out and hastily turned away, fumbling to appear nonchalant as his face flushed over.

What has gotten into him?

______

It has progressed to the point where Sesshoumaru wanted to actively avoid Inuyasha. Last time the mutt actually tripped looking at him. So when he found his inert body in a small forest clearing, he was more tempted than usual to just leave it there to rot. But since the mutt was unconscious and Jaken was off with Rin on her food poaching, he supposed it was safe to investigate.

The mutt reeked of miasma, obviously coming out the second best in another dog fight with another one of Naraku's minion. He kicked the body over and found a barely discernable breath struggling over a spearhead wedged in his right chest.

He decided that the pain he was about to inflict justified the good deed he was about to perform. He bent down, closed his hand around the spearhead and wrenched it out with little pity and a bit too much force. The mutt chocked as a mouthful of blood well up in his throat. A few more shaking breathes, and he howled in pain.

Sesshoumaru inspected the bloodied spearhead. It was laced with miasma and something else, powdered nightshade, perhaps. The mutt will be incoherent for awhile.

When the pair of bleary eyes beneath him cracked open, Sesshoumau dropped the spearhead and decided it was time to leave.

A hand gripped his collar, and the green haze of Dokkasou flared, ready strike off the offensive hand—

"Father…"

He froze, feeling the hand pull harder, the pair of unfocused eyes locked on his face.

"Father don't leave. I'm sorry…"

It was a simple mistake, brought on by the nightshade and the loss of blood. Yet somehow the implication of those words were almost too flattering that he forgot to pull back when the delirious mutt flung his arms around his waist.

He flinched at the unpleasant contact, then collected himself for a satisfactory mental sarcasm before shaking him off.

Of course I look more like Him that you are.

He tried again, this time out loud.

"Stupid half-bred" was all he could muster. A hand meant to push the mutt away remained motionless on the his shoulder instead.

Inuyasha has got hair like their Father.

Is he vain, or is he compassionate? Neither conclusions seemed particularly palatable to him. But before he decides, or before the mutt wakes up, he suppose he could stay.

______

And there the mutt goes again.

When he ran into Inuyasha's troupe once more, the mutt didn't appear to remember anything from the previous encounter and carried on with the obstinate staring. Sesshoumaru was about to look away when he changed his mind.

And why should he be on the defensive now? Instead, he shall take this opportunity to make sure the mutt understands that he, Sesshoumaru, did not just take after Father's looks. He closed his eyes in recollection, and when he opened them again, he made the best imitation he could of their Father's dazzling smile that had surely captivated both of their mothers.

It had the desired effect. The mutt stumbled backwards and fell on his bottom, eyes wide, mouth agape and miserably flustered, while leaving just about everyone else present fearing for their lives.

Now that's more like it.

Stupid mutt.

Feeling the smile was threatening to turn genuine, he spun around and left.

_____end___

Author's note: Yes, this indeed belongs to the family-category :)


End file.
